Unpacking the San Francisco Pen Show: A Deeper Dive into What I Brought Home

September 2, 2023

As I did after the D.C. Pen Show recap, I wanted to do a post that’s a bit of a deeper dive on what I picked up at the San Francisco Pen Show, especially since my weekend was spent mostly behind the table and these past few days at home were my first opportunity to explore most of my purchases, which were largely planned pre-show and executed in the last two hours on Sunday afternoon. It’s been like a pen show after a pen show!

Gravitas Ultemate Vac and Kyuseido Kakari — The Kyuseido (right) next to the Gravitas Ultemate Vac (left). The Kyuseido "Kakari” fountain pen was designed by C.Y. of Kyuseido in collaboration with Ben Walsh of Ben Walsh Design/Gravitas Pens.

Kyuseido Pump Piston Filler (The “Kakari”?)

So of all the pens that I posted photos of on Instagram and in my main San Francisco recap, this is the one that prompted the most questions. I understand the official name is the “Kakari” (from Ben Walsh’s Instagram), and it’s a riff on the “bulkfiller” (lower-case) or syringe filler mechanism. More details will follow once I’ve had time to play with it. My particular pen features black PVD titanium trim (numbered edition of 40/50), and a 14k nib ground by C.Y. into a “Sankakusen”, which is his term for the kodachi/naginata-style grind. I basically use it like a soft architect, and so far it’s been a wonderful writer. An ebonite feed delivers a lot of ink, but the nib is well-tuned so that it doesn’t bleed through on most papers.

My understanding is that the San Francisco Pen Show was a “soft launch” for this particular pen, and that we will be seeing more of it soon. It’s a premium product, priced at $660 including the custom grind, a price point which is slightly lower than than the Conid Bulkfiller with a titanium nib. I of course plan to do a much more in-depth post on this pen, though I need to wait until Kyuseido posts more information about the specifics of the design when it officially launches. We were both so busy at the show I didn’t have an opportunity to discuss the pen with C.Y. in any great detail.

Schon DSGN Monoc Comparison — And, yes, my fine Monoc (left) was anodized in a rainbow gradient.

Schon DSGN Fine Monoc Nib

I reviewed the original Schon DSGN Monoc nib back in February, shortly after it’s initial launch. At the D.C. Pen Show, Ian revealed broad and fine versions of the Monoc, which I didn’t have a chance to test out. Then Ana, my table neighbor working for Vanness, bought one and brought it back to the table in San Francisco, and I was hooked. I mentioned this in my prior recap, but I needed to re-ink the pen after travel and take some pictures of the unique line variation this nib offers. While the original Monoc writes a medium line in normal “nib-down” position, and a fine/extra-fine on the reverse, this latest release writes a fine line in normal position and an medium architect line on the reverse. It’s extremely smooth either way, though I did move it from a Pocket Six to my Amber Ultem pen, as I think ink flows better in the Monoc through a converter.

Schon DSGN Medium and Fine Monoc Writing Samples

Gravitas Pens Ultemate Vac Filler

I’ve been wanting to pick up one of Ben Walsh’s polished Gravitas Ultem vacs, and it doesn’t disappoint. So many makers default to the matte finish with Ultem, and while I might prefer that visual on most designs, here the polished finish was clearly the right choice. I’m also digging the clipless, postable cap, and the titanium on the barrel gives the pen a nice balance. I stuck with the stainless steel EF nib, which writes well, and the section is threaded for a JoWo nib unit if I ever wanted to change it out.

Skogsy Pens Micarta Fountain Pen

Did I mention I’ve become obsessed with Micarta as a material. Yes, I know it “stains”. No, I don’t care. And yes, you bet I dipped the section of this pen to fill it. I even got permission from Zach at Skogsy to do it. (He encourages this!)

Micarta Fountain Pens from Skogsy Pens and Leonardo Pens — My two Micarta Fountain Pens: The Skogsy (left) and the Leonardo Momento Zero collaboration with Stilo e Stile (right).

For those unfamiliar, “Micarta” is a brand name for a thermoplastic made from resin-infused fiber (typically linen, canvas, paper, fiberglass, or carbon fiber), though it’s also used generically (“micarta”) to refer to materials made using similar techniques. It has a range of industrial uses, though the most familiar niche consumer applications are knife handles, pool cues, and guitar components. Once hardened and turned, Micarta takes on the feel of compressed sailcloth, and will wear smooth and patina depending on how it is used.

Micarta Pens Sections, one stained with ink. — Micarta is absorbent, so as you use your pens, knives, etc. they will take on a patina from hand oils and ink.

Durable and extremely light, Micarta makes for a fascinating pen material. I missed out on the original TWSBI Micarta release (which I talked about in my Pen Addict Podcast appearance EIGHT years ago!?!), but immediately picked up the Stilo e Stile collaboration with Leonardo Pens, and jumped at the chance to grab a Skogsy Pen in San Francisco. These things sold fast, and on Saturday morning I only had my pick of three!

Enigma Stationery and TGS Hinze Pens Collaboration

Enigma Stationery Special Edition No. 3

Another table neighbor got me on the first day. I mentioned that Enigma Stationery was right next door, and we had both done collaborations with Hinze Pens. Dan and I ended up swapping a couple of pens from our latest limited runs, and I took home this gorgeous Enigma Special Edition #3 turned by Hinze from a custom in-house Enigma blank. I also love the matching turquoise nib and have a couple ideas for the perfect ink to match this one. (Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku, perhaps? That seems to be my new favorite.)

Pilot Custom 74s on Toyooka Craft Pen Tray

Pilot Custom 74 Burgundy Demonstrator with EF Nib

Yeah, yeah, don’t shop your own supply, I know, but someone wanted to dip this Custom 74 at the SF Show and I noticed for the first time that the burgundy demonstrator features a smoke black section and finial and it’s a burgundy and smoke pen and my signature colors and I don’t have a Pilot Custom 74 with an EF nib and I talked myself into keeping it. So there.

Pilot Custom 74 Demonstrators — Yes I do plan to remove the sticker.

As I’ve demonstrated, you can still do an extreme amount of damage to your wallet with only two hours to spend shopping at the SF Pen Show (and even without leaving your own table). Even so, I’m considering dialing back show attendance as an exhibitor next year, and refocusing more on the informational/content/after-hours aspects, and maybe even hosting workshops and seminars. It’s more in line with what I want to get out of the show experience, since logistics dictate that I’m never going to be a multiple-table vendor and my time is likely better spent visiting with makers, distributors, readers and attendees. Stay tuned for future show plans! I may have one or two more in me this year.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. This post does not contain paid advertising or third-party affiliate links.

No More Grail Pens: Hunting Fun Nibs at the 2023 D.C. Pen Show

August 12, 2023

Though not as much anymore, the concept of a “grail pen” was something you once heard discussed a lot in the pen community, particularly at shows. “Grail pen” generally refers to one of two things: (1) the specific pen you are currently looking to add to your collection - i.e., the current subject of “the hunt”; or (2) the pen that you believe will complete your collection - i.e., the prize that you spend most of your time online and at shows searching for. Personally, I don’t really subscribe to the idea that “grail pens” in this second sense exist (because most people’s preferences are always changing), and I don’t really even hunt specific pens at shows anymore. These days, I mostly enjoy allowing pens to “find me”, and my show purchases involve special collaborations and exclusives designed by friends, oddball products and materials, and more adventurous nibs than I’ve tried in the past.

Desiderata Daedalus 3.2 Zebra G — This year I’ve been picking up flex pens left and right, using them mainly for journaling and playing around with inks. Some inks just look exceptionally good in a softer nib, like the new Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku, a vibrant teal.

Early on in my pen “collecting,” show-attending career, I would visit shows looking to try and acquire specific pens I had never used before: the Montblanc 146, the Pilot Vanishing Point, the Pilot Custom 74, the Sailor Pro Gear, the Pilot 823, etc. Personally, I think this is a critical process for most people who want to get really into pens and develop a deep knowledge of the hobby, because it lets you understand the differences between major brands, models, and styles. But eventually you’ve tried more or less every standard pen out there, and you move on to explore new things like limited and special edition finishes. My next step was the Montblanc 146 Ultra Black, one of the Leonardo Momento Zero “Maestro” sets, and more.

Pen Accessories Purchased 2023 DC Pen Show — In lieu of adding yet more pens, I’ve worked to upgrade my pen displays and accessories, with items like these trays from Japanese woodworkers Toyooka Craft.

This stage of the hobby can be quite fun, and I still make these kinds of purchases regularly if there’s a finish or material I find compelling. But what draws me in these days is creativity and makers who think outside the box. There are so many new independent makers and smaller brands experimenting with different designs and nib grinds that I’ve largely lost interest in what some of the bigger companies are doing. (I can’t tell you the last time I purchased anything from Montblanc, and my 149 is currently “in the shop” getting the Studio Bokumondoh Urushi treatment, so it won’t be a “standard” pen for much longer.)

Desiderata Pens Daedalus 3.2 — It doesn’t get much more vintage looking than red ripple ebonite!

This year’s D.C. Pen Show Haul was no exception. I talked about what I brought home in my main show recap posted earlier this week, but I wanted to add a bit more context to some of these purchases. My first show acquisition was a Daedalus 3.2 from Pierre Miller’s Desiderata Pens, which is a new riff on one of Pierre’s early designs. This pen is a piston-filler that takes either standard JoWo No. 6 nibs or the Zebra G flex nib fitted to a red ebonite feed that allows you to do truly vintage-style flexible writing. I’ve enjoyed Pierre’s work for years, and this special red ripple ebonite version was a must-have.

The second acquisition, which I teased on social media, is the second collaboration between Vanness Pens and The Good Blue Co. in a black Cerakote finish with “Vanness Green” splatter. Only 30 of these pens were made, and since I purchased the last Vanness x Good Blue pen with their titanium flex nib, this time I opted for their new “Zoom” nib, which is a somewhat oddball hybrid between Sailor’s version of a “Zoom” nib and a Naginata/Kodachi style nib. Both allow you to change the line width by modifying your writing angle - I would say the Zoom has more extreme variation between angles and isn’t as “smooth” in the transitions as a Kodachi. It’s a cool nib and I can see myself using it often for daily writing.

I made sure to get one of the pens with lots of green splatter, as I mentioned.

I mean, can you resist that nib? Mine came exceptionally well-tuned.

Finally, I snagged one of Evan at Penquisition’s “Touchstone” collaborations with Ben Walsh of Gravitas. Evan set out to make a pocketable pen that was full-sized when posted. Not only does the Touchstone fit that bill, but the color combinations are excellent. I went with the blue and red version (blue pen, red grip), and the blue is more vibrant in person - almost a cerulean/turquoise - than it appears in photos.

Pensloth Double-Stacked Nib — It’s been a long time coming, but I finally bought a stacked nib. There will be more.

Circling back to how I began this post - I’ve found that once I let go of the idea of searching for a specific pen or hitting the show with a list, I started opening myself up to trying pens and nibs that I never would have thought I’d liked. I’ll close with my last pen/nib purchase of the show: a double-stacked crosspoint-style nib by Jim Crawford (Pensloth on IG and most other socials). I’ve not had this much fun with a nib in quite some time! What can I say, I thought my Tucker pen in Damascus/Purple from Jason Neil Penworks needed a fun nib to match.

My two oddball nibs from the DC Pen Show: the Pensloth stacked nib and the Good Blue Zoom nib.

Even though my bank account is in pain right now, I can’t wait to see what I’ll find in San Francisco! (Assuming I sell some pens between now and then.)

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Also, once pen show season starts, I periodically thin out shop samples and underused items from my personal collection in our “Gently Used” page, which is offered to Patreon Patrons first and then to the general readership. You can check it out here.

From Plotters to Paper to Ebonite Pens: My 2022 San Francisco Takeaways

September 3, 2022

In my main recap earlier this week, I talked about how the San Francisco Pen Show is a different kind of event, with a focus on classes, seminars, and community in addition to the typical pen show shopping extravaganza. Well, for all of those who have been asking for photos of my show haul, this is it, and it was a bit of a doozy. I rarely do “haul” posts, but I thought it might be fun to walk through my San Francisco pen show experience photographically, discussing each of my purchases/acquisitions by category, since what I ended up taking home from this show says a lot about the feel of the show and how I hope more shows evolve in the future.

Paper = Mostly Plotter

Earlier in August, I was on the fence whether to attend the San Francisco Pen Show at all, and then Plotter announced that they would be on-site with their creative director, Takayuki Saito, hand-assembling special-edition binders in specialty leathers that would only be available at that show. OK, I was in.

My yellow Plotter A5 being hand-assembled and adjusted.

At last year’s San Francisco Pen Show (2021), I was gifted the “Narrow” in brown “Pueblo” leather as part of Plotter’s US launch, when they sent out review kits to get feedback on the product in advance of a broader release. I’ve used my Narrow Plotter as my primary T.G.S. business notebook for the better part of a year, though I’ll admit it took me a while to get a feel for the system and discovery how it fits into my particular workflow. To be honest, it was more a factor of me being out of the “ring system” mentality for the better part of a decade and having to rethink how I could incorporate the ability to organize and shuffle pages around. Having now used the system at some length, perused the full range of refills, and visited with the people behind Plotter (both the U.S. and Japanese creative teams), I feel like I understand the system a bit better and there are definitely aspects that could drastically improve my research and writing process, as well as my daily capture of thoughts I don’t want to lose/miss.

Plotter refills and accessories — Plotter: Infinitely customizable. You can make the system as intricate or as simple as you desire.

I had my personal Plotter appointment at 11:56 on Friday morning. (The time intervals were very precise, which is not strange at all for someone who has tracked their life in six-minute increments for the past 17 years.) But before my booked time slot, at which I planned to purchase a Plotter A5, Saito-san’s own personal Plotter Mini-5 caught my eye. The Mini-5 is a newer size, at least in the U.S. Market: a wallet-sized Plotter that appeared to be wallet + pocket notebook + penholder solution for which I’d been actively searching for years. I bought one in grey Pueblo leather, to match my “aged” Baron Fig wallet.

Plotter Mini-5 compared against Bifold Wallet

Later that afternoon, as I watched Takayuki Saito - Plotter’s creative director - assemble my binder (A5 ochre/yellow leather with gold trim), I started thinking about the accessories I needed and how I would use the Plotter system. I ended up purchasing a wide selection of add-ons and different refills to set up each Plotter for the various roles I have planned for each size. While most of this will be featured in a longer series on Notebook Systems/System Techo that I have in the works, I’ll give a brief photographic overview below:

Plotter Mini-5 Grey Pueblo Leather — My Plotter Mini-5 in grey Pueblo leather has replaced my wallet since approximately an hour after I bought it. If you intend to use it as a wallet, you’ll need at least one of the cardholder accessories. The pen loop is also an add-on, if you want to carry a pocket pen. (The one shown here is a Penco “Perfection” Bullet pen - back in stock in the shop!)

Plotter Narrow Brown Pueblo vs. Plotter Grey Mini-5 — My Plotter Narrow (in more worn/aged brown Pueblo), vs. my Mini-5 in grey Pueblo. The mesh bags seen behind them are one of the more intriguing Plotter accessories that I ordered after the show, and were delivered yesterday. The Narrow will remain my TGS business notebook for checklists, posting schedules, etc. The Mini-5 will serve as my wallet and pocket notebook.

My yellow Plotter A5 - I’m not sure what this leather is called, or whether it will be generally available, but it’s gorgeous and about as close to my beloved natural undyed leather as you can currently get in the Plotter lineup. This one will age beautifully. I intend for this notebook to serve as a general purpose creative and idea inbox - a place to sketch out ideas before moving them into storage or figuring out where they will permanently live.

Plotter A5 vs. Plotter Narrow vs. Plotter Mini-5 — A Plotter group shot so you can get a sense of the different sizes in relation to one another.

Plotter refills in various sizes and rulings. One of the unique things about Plotter “refills” is that many are sold as bound pads that can be used as stand-alone notebooks. That way, you can selectively choose which sheets to remove and store in your binder. I’ll discuss this concept in more depth as part of a forthcoming review, but Plotter is not necessarily a planner system - you can use it that way, but it was originally conceived as curated binder system allowing you to carry with you those ideas that you’re currently working on, while archiving others elsewhere.

If you’re a fan of compartmentalized packing, bag-within-a-bag organization, etc., I highly recommend the Plotter Mesh Cases. Each case has a hinged opening that securely closes, two interior compartments, and while they are sized for the various Plotters (as shown in my pictures above), you can use them for an infinite number of other purposes.

I didn’t limit the “paper” theme of this show to Plotter. On Saturday, I scored a seat in the “paper tasting” seminar with Taizo Yamamoto and Bruce Eimon, and following that fascinating hour and a half session, picked up ten different memo pads full of unique, fountain-pen friendly Japanese papers at the Yamamoto Paper booth. I later discovered that the small square memo sheets can be hole-punched to fit perfectly into the Plotter (or any standard six-ring binder), should you want to keep any loose notes.

Yamamoto Paper Tasting Seminar Notes — My takeaways from the Yamamoto Paper class and table!

Yamamoto Paper Sample Box 1 — Of these five, the Sleight White and the Soliste papers were the ones that pleasantly surprised me.

Yamamoto Paper Sample Box 2 — I doubled down on Soliste, though the textured Air Mail Bond White was also a lightweight favorite. I’m going to buy some full-size sheets because I suspect it will make for excellent typewriter paper.

Yamamoto Memo Pad Boxes — The Memo Boxes themselves are well designed and useful. I really hope these become more readily available outside of pen shows.

Yamamoto Notes in Plotter — You can use a standard Rapesco or Filofax hole punch to insert notes into the Plotter system (or whatever standard six-ring system you use). Plotter rings are not proprietary, so you don’t need to purchase an expensive proprietary hole punch to use your own paper with the system.

While I was at the Yamamoto Paper table, I also spotted some of their Ro-Biki Notebooks along with a cotton wrap-style case. Since it’s a long-narrow format, the Ro-Biki notebooks caught my eye, and I picked one up for experimentation. While most Traveler’s Company refills are too wide for this particular wrap, I found that I can make the MD Cotton Letter pad from the B-Sides series work. Honestly, though, the artwork on the Ro-Biki is what drew me in (that and the rumor that they may be moving to the Soliste paper in the future, which I adore.)

The Yamamoto Ro-Biki Cotton Canvas Cover plus two refills.

Yamamoto Ro-Biki and Traveler's Refill — I love the details on the “Star Map” Cover.

The Canvas Cover Folds over and closes with an elastic strap.

Pen Cases = Mostly Rickshaw Bagworks

The other big piece of news in advance of San Francisco was the re-launch of the Nock Co. Sinclair (aka the Arguably Greatest Pen Case of All Time), in collaboration with San Francisco-based Rickshaw Bagworks. Rickshaw brought at least one tubful of the new Sinclair “Model-r”, one of which I purchased, and Brad supplied me with another for review purposes. The Sinclair is still an outstanding pen case, and Rickshaw has made some slight adjustments to the design (with more possible as customizations).

Rickshaw Bagworks Sinclair Mode-R Cases — The Rickshaw show sticker was also available - if you picked up a fortune cookie at the entrance to the show, the “Fortune” was, at a minimum, a free sticker from the Rickshaw table!

Ink = Finally, Some Wearingeul (Plus a Lot of Giveaway Freebies)

Later on Saturday afternoon, Jesi over at the Dromgoole’s table finally got me with the Wearingeul Inks. Once again, I’m blown away by how many different ink brands there are now, and how many new inks they can bring to market. Sure, some companies aren’t very creative and don’t pay attention to whether or not they’re duplicating colors that already exist, but others - like Wearingeul - continue to amaze me with unique muted colors that are interesting but still suitable for everyday writing.

Six Wearingeul Inks from San Francisco — I can’t pick a favorite. All of these are good, if not amazing.

Did I mention I can’t pick a favorite? The paper shown here is Midori MD Cotton - my new favorite paper for ink sampling, but in a test run Plotter refill where Plotter took A5 sheets and letterpressed lines into the cotton paper. Please do me a favor and e-mail Plotter USA ***now***, and demand that they bring this paper into the standard lineup. It’s amazing. For now, I’ll have to settle for taking the standard MD Cotton A5 pad and punching holes in it.

Nagasawa was selling Kobe ink for $10 a bottle on Sunday. Was I really going to pass that up? Plus I picked up a bottle of Ferris Wheel Press Mirror, Mirror of Moiraine, which I’ve been obsessing over for the better part of a year.

I swabbed for posterity/sampling far more bottles than I brought home!

Pens = All Ebonite

So, Joe, no pens? That was the plan, and I held out until Sunday, when I found myself eyeing Ranga premium ebonite pens over at the Peyton Street Pens table. Never having owned a Ranga pen, and loving ebonite in general, I acquired a dark red/black striated Bamboo model, as well as one of the Abhimanyu models in a green/yellow color. Ranga pens take No. 6 (and sometimes, No. 8) JoWo nibs, making them perfect platforms for nib customization.

Ranga Ebonite Pens Bamboo Abhimanyu — The Ranga Abhimanyu (left) and the Bamboo (right).

I love the color variation on the section of this pen. It’s what sold me on this specific piece. All of the pens are different.

I’m not sure there’s a color of ebonite that could speak to me more.

Nib Grinds = Further Exploring Naginata Styles

I picked up four nib grinds: two Nag-architect hybrid nibs with ultra-fine points from The Nib Tailor, and a Mini-Nag and architect from C.Y. of Tokyo Station Pens (who I enjoyed meeting for the first time!). The Naginata-style grind deserves its own post, so I won’t write at length here, but the grind features line variation similar to an architect (thick horizontal, thinner vertical), with less definition and a slightly smoother feel, plus the ability to vary line thickness depending on the angle at which you hold the pen. Different nib grinders use different techniques and have their own style, so no two pens will be the same. You really need to experiment to find your preference with this grind, which is why I’ve requested nibs from various people and will be doing a longer comparison post in the future. (For reference, check out my review of the Custom Nib Studio “Perspective” grind, which so far I consider one of my favorite Naginata-style nibs out there.) As an FYI, Gena is now offering pre-ground Naginata-style and cursive italic nibs through Schon DSGN, at least at pen shows. I picked up one of the former and it’s really, really good.

Once again, many thanks to everyone who made the 2022 San Francisco Pen Show such a great experience. I can’t wait to see you all again next year! If you have specific questions about any of the products featured here, feel free to reach out.

** I have strategically omitted certain purchases from this recap since I did pick up some cool things for upcoming birthday and holiday gifts. (The recipients read the blog.) :)

This post does not contain affiliate links or paid sponsorships, and unless expressly indicated otherwise, the products purchased here were acquired with my own funds at full price. Certain of the Plotter refills I ordered online were subject to a discount code that was floating around the show. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program.